Written Answers Friday 6 June 2008

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the East Dunbartonshire Council area were arrested in the last three years for contravening local byelaws banning drinking in public places.

Kenny MacAskill: Local authorities have the power to make byelaws to prohibit drinking in designated public places under provisions contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, subject to confirmation by the Scottish ministers. To date, 30 local authorities across Scotland have byelaws in place, covering over 480 towns and villages, and the built up areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

  Information on the number of arrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimes recorded. The number of breaches of these byelaws recorded within the East Dunbartonshire local authority area are shown in the following table.

  Breaches of Byelaws which Prohibit Drinking in Designated Public Places, East Dunbartonshire Local Authority Area, 2004-05 to 2006-07

  

2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


530
513
476

Central Heating

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in the (a) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, (b) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (c) Ross, Skye and Inverness West, (d) Argyll and Bute, (e) Western Isles, (f) Moray, (g) Orkney and (h) Shetland parliamentary constituency had a free central heating system installed from April 2007 to April 2008.

Stewart Maxwell: In the private sector, information is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency area, but by main postcode. The number of central heating systems installed during the period 1 April 2007 until 30 April 2008 for the main postcode areas, which cover the parliamentary constituencies requested, is shown in the following table:

  

Main Postcode
HS
IV
KW
PA
ZE
Total


April 2007 to April 2008
107
447
122
1,136
22
1,834

Central Heating

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in the (a) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, (b) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (c) Ross, Skye and Inverness West, (d) Argyll and Bute, (e) Western Isles, (f) Moray, (g) Orkney and (h) Shetland parliamentary constituency have had free central heating systems installed since April 2008.

Stewart Maxwell: In the private sector, information is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency area, but by main postcode. The number of central heating installations from 1 April until 30 April 2008 for the main postcode areas, which cover the parliamentary constituencies requested, is shown in the following table:

  

Main Postcode
HS
IV
KW
PA
ZE
Total


April 2008 Installations
4
41
12
94
0
151



  Note: 1. The figures for installations carried out in May are not yet available.

Central Heating

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in the (a) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, (b) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (c) Ross, Skye and Inverness West, (d) Argyll and Bute, (e) Western Isles, (f) Moray, (g) Orkney and (h) Shetland parliamentary constituency are currently on the waiting list for a free central heating system installation.

Stewart Maxwell: In the private sector, information is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency area, but by main postcode. The number of applicants on the waiting list at the end of April, by main postcode area covering the parliamentary constituencies requested, is shown in the following table:

  

Main Postcode
HS
IV
KW
PA
ZE
Total


Number Waiting
60
386
146
818
47
1,457

Child Welfare

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children and young people have been restrained in secure accommodation in each of the last six years.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government does not collect this information.

Dentistry

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people were registered with an NHS dentist in the East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each of the last five years, broken down by age group.

Shona Robison: The information requested is only available from March 2007. The table presents information as at March, June, September and December 2007.

  Percentage of People Registered with an NHS Dentist; by Age Group in East Dunbartonshire1

  

Date
Age Group
Total


0-2
3-5
6-12
13-17
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75+


March 2007
41.9
74.6
79.2
73.6
56.5
64.0
53.5
46.7
45.5
45.5
35.1
54.4


June 2007
42.1
74.8
79.1
74.7
57.0
63.7
53.7
47.0
45.8
45.7
36.7
54.7


September 2007
42.5
78.3
81.7
77.1
60.1
66.0
55.3
49.1
47.6
47.7
39.1
56.9


December 2007
41.4
79.9
82.1
78.3
63.9
68.7
57.0
50.9
48.8
48.5
40.9
58.5



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. Registrations are based on the postcode of the practice as opposed to the postcode of the patient. The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of registrations by the resident population for the particular area/age group etc. This has led to percentages greater than 100.

Firearms

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals in Grampian applied for a firearms licence from 2002 to 2007, broken down into those that were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is published in table 2 of the National Statistics publication series Firearm Certificates Statistics, Scotland . The Bib. numbers of the 2002 to 2007 publications are 29674, 32867, 36509, 39665, 42793 and 45751 respectively.

Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to NHS boards on the purchase of electronic physiotherapy aids.

Nicola Sturgeon: Health Facilities Scotland published a safety warning, which included advice on the purchase of physiotherapy equipment, on 29 September 2007. Safety Action Notice SAN (SC) 06/44 Physiotherapy ultrasound machines: calibration of acoustic power / intensity , advised that "Before procuring new devices, manufacturers and suppliers should be required to provide evidence that their products are built and tested to relevant standards."

Health

Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the NHS assesses the efficacy of electronic physiotherapy aids.

Nicola Sturgeon: Medical devices are regulated in the UK by the Medical Devices Regulations and enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK Competent Authority. It is deemed that European Conformity marked medical devices are fit for purpose and all questions regarding the efficacy of medical devices are brought to the attention of the MHRA.

Housing

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many home repossessions there were in the Lothians parliamentary region in 2007-08, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: The information requested is not available.

Housing

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the findings of the Scottish Housing Regulator’s scrutiny of the Mazars report on second stage stock transfer.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Housing Regulator’s assessment of Mazars’ report was released on Friday 6 June. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45780) and on the Scottish Housing Regulator’s website www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk .

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what secondary legislation is required to achieve the efficiency savings identified in paragraph 13.1 in the Justice section of Efficiency Delivery Plans 2008-11.

Kenny MacAskill: A combination of amendments to working practices and secondary legislation will be required to achieve anticipated savings in legal aid expenditure.

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what primary legislation will be necessary in relation to paragraph 13.1 in the Justice section of Efficiency Delivery Plans 2008-11.

Kenny MacAskill: Savings to be achieved by Courts Directorate are dependent on the passing of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill. Some changes may also be required to the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 in order to improve the efficiency of legal aid expenditure although no amendments to that legislation have been agreed yet.

NHS Waiting Times

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital beds were available in NHS Lothian in each year since 1997, broken down by hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested on the average available acute staffed beds for each hospital in NHS Lothian for years ending 31 March 1998 to 2008 is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45752). Figures for the year end 31 March 2008 are provisional and may be subject to revision.

  The table shows information on average available staffed beds. This indicates the average daily number of beds, which were staffed and were available for the reception of inpatients and day cases. The figures include borrowed beds, temporary beds, neo-natal and post-natal cots. Beds in day bed units are excluded.

  The figures presented in the table are averages; due to rounding, totals and sub-totals may not equate to the sum of the component figures shown.

NHS Waiting Times

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute occupied bed days in NHS Lothian were directly connected with alcohol-related conditions in each of the last three years for which the information is available, also broken down by age of patient.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is provided in table 1. It shows the total length of stay of patients treated in acute hospitals in NHS Lothian for alcohol-related conditions by age on admission in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, the most recent years for which information is available. The figures for 2006-07 are provisional and may be subject to slight revision.

  Figures in the tables relate to those individuals who are treated as in-patients, they do not include individuals managed as out-patients. The figures exclude mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals.

  Table 1: The Total Length of Stay (Days) of Patients Treated in Acute Hospitals in NHS Lothian for Alcohol-Related Conditions by Age on Admission: 2004-05 to 2006-07

  

 
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


All Ages
35,985
37,288
37,758


Under 15 years
52
95
49


15-19 years
174
553
216


20-24 years
420
473
428


25-29 years
523
589
745


30-34 years
526
680
636


35-39 years
1,840
1,791
1,422


40-44 years
2,120
2,999
2,928


45-49 years
3,504
3,411
2,881


50-54 years
3,159
4,409
4,019


55-59 years
4,408
4,654
5,833


60 years and over
19,259
17,634
18,601

NHS Waiting Times

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute occupied bed days in NHS Lothian were directly connected with drug-related conditions in each of the last three years for which the information is available, also broken down by age of patient.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is provided in table 1. It shows the total length of stay of patients treated in acute hospitals in NHS Lothian for drug-related conditions by age on admission in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, the most recent years for which information is available. The figures for 2006-07 are provisional and may be subject to slight revision.

  Figures in the table relate to those individuals who are treated as in-patients. They do not include individuals managed as out-patients. The figures exclude mental illness hospitals, psychiatric units and maternity hospitals.

  Table 1: The Total Length Of Stay (Days) of Patients Treated in Acute Hospitals in NHS Lothian for Drug-Related Conditions1,2 by Age on Admission: 2004-05 to 2006-073,P

  

 
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07P


All Ages
2,508
2,982
2,826


Under 15 years
4
8
3


15-19 years
155
151
71


20-24 years
254
177
290


25-29 years
307
356
416


30-34 years
458
341
483


35-39 years
574
796
538


40-44 years
473
441
498


45-49 years
125
213
205


50-54 years
65
284
156


55-59 years
43
46
8


60 years and over
50
169
158



  PProvisional.

  Source: ISD Scotland (SMR01).

  Notes:

  1. Diseases recorded using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Drug related conditions: F11, F12, F13, F14, F15, F16, F18, F19.

  2. Excludes misuse of alcohol or tobacco.

  3. Year associated with the date of discharge for each continuous in-patient stay.

National Conversation

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of Choosing Scotland’s Future: A National Conversation have been purchased at a cost of £10 from Blackwell’s bookshops.

Nicola Sturgeon: To date, 172 copies of Choosing Scotland’s Future have been sold by Blackwell’s bookshops. About 90 further copies have been sold via wholesalers and at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

  Over 3,000 free copies were distributed to key stakeholders and public libraries following the launch of the paper, and a number of hard copies have been distributed internally within the government for use by policy officials with their stakeholders. The document is also available to download for free on the government’s National Conversation website – to date it has been downloaded over 9,200 times, and has been read online around 30,730 times.

National Parks

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated completion dates are for the five-yearly reviews of Scotland’s national parks.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the scope of the five-yearly reviews of Scotland’s national parks will be and whether the reviews will include an evaluation of the impact of the national parks in relation to their objectives as set out in the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000.

Michael Russell: The national parks review remit provides information on the scope and the provisional timetable of the review and is available on the Scottish Government’s website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16131.

  A consultation will be carried out as part of the first stage of the review and I would encourage those interested in national parks to offer their views to the national parks review team. The consultation questions will be made available on the Scottish Government’s website in due course.

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls Grampian Police responded to from 2002 to 2007 where the incident was due to excessive noise.

Fergus Ewing: This information is not held centrally. The Grampian police force or local authorities may be able to give you some information about such incidents.

Police

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls Fife Constabulary responded to from 2002 to 2007 where the incident was due to excessive noise.

Fergus Ewing: This information is not held centrally. The Fife police force or local authority may be able to give you some information about such incidents.

Scottish Futures Trust

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which concepts were "parked" at (a) stage 1 and (b) stage 2 of the shortlisting in the options appraisal process for the Scottish Futures Trust, as outlined in Chapter 6 of Taking Forward the Scottish Futures Trust.

John Swinney: As part of the development of the Scottish Futures Trust, a wide range of concepts was developed. The main concepts which were "parked" at stages 1 and 2 of the shortlisting in the options appraisal process for the Scottish Futures Trust, as outlined in Chapter 6 of Taking Forward the Scottish Futures Trust (Bib. number 45605) are given in the following tables. As the development work on Scottish Futures Trust continues, these concepts may be considered again.

  Table 1: Concepts Parked at Stage 1

  

NPD structure – transfer residual interest in land


NPD structure – non-specific buildings / separate shell and fit-out


Residual value guarantor for shorter concessions


Existing asset sale / leaseback


Value from existing off balance sheet assets e.g. Rail / Water


Facilitator of broader access (e.g. Health Boards) to PWLB


Scottish oil fund investment manager


Tax relieved "municipal bond" issuer


Retail investment aggregator / facilitator 



  Table 2: Concepts Parked at Stage 2

  

Project integrator role (special purpose vehicle)


Facilitator of Sovereign Wealth Fund investments


Philanthropic donation aggregator / facilitator

Teachers

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish and respond to the report of the Chartered Teacher Review Group.

Fiona Hyslop: I have arranged for the report to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre today (Bib. number 45775) and will respond when I address the third annual National Chartered Teacher Conference tomorrow.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Staff

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, whether the process used was consistent with both the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body’s procedures for advertising posts which state that "The SPCB is committed to fairness of treatment in relation to the processes used for filling posts whether it is through open recruitment or by internal means" and the SPCB’s equalities framework which states that the senior management team is fully committed to "equality of opportunity and treatment".

Alex Fergusson: As this post is not part of the SPCB staff complement the method of filling the vacancy did not fall under the agreed procedures for filling posts. However, in assigning a member of staff to this post, the approach was consistent with the SPCB’s procedures for filling posts. They state that the Chief Executive may, in exceptional circumstances, make such appointments deemed necessary in the interests of the organisation without following the full procedures.

Parliamentary Staff

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, whether the processes used to staff the Calman Commission were fully consistent with paragraph 5 of the procedures for the advertising of posts, and if so, what was deemed "exceptional".

Alex Fergusson: I refer to my answer to S3W-13349. The exceptional circumstance was that the Chief Executive was acting under a general direction of the Parliament. It should be further noted that this is a short-term assignment and does not involve the creation of a new post within the parliamentary staff organisation.

Parliamentary Staff

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, on how many other occasions the Chief Executive has used his powers under paragraph 5 of the procedures for the advertising of posts and for what posts.

Alex Fergusson: : Since the procedures were put in place in 2000, the exclusion under paragraph five has been used on 11 occasions. The posts are:

  2000: Secretary to the Holyrood Progress Group (Temporary)

  2001: Two Finance Administrators (Permanent)

  Director of the Holyrood Project (Temporary)

  2004: Recruitment Administrator (Temporary)

  2005: Administrative Assistant (Permanent)

  2006: Payroll Administrator (Temporary)

  Maintenance Plan Project Manager (Temporary)

  2007: Administrative Assistant (Temporary)

  Assistant Media Relations Officer (Permanent)

  2008: Purchasing Manager (Temporary).